Research

Historic Clothing Collection

THE HISTORIC CLOTHING & TEXTILE COLLECTION

With over 7,000 items in the Historic Clothing and Textile Collection in the Archives, our collection is considered one of the ten best in the United States. Illustrating the history of dress from the late 18th century to the present, the collection offers a personal perspective into our regional history. Included are clothing for men, women and children, fashion accessories and textiles, wedding dresses from many eras and clothing by designers such as Christian Dior and Chanel.

Dress
Hand Painted Silk, 1980
Designed by Zandra Rhodes
English clothing designer, Zandra Rhodes, in her iconic pink hair, lives part-time in San Diego and has designed costumes for the San Diego Opera, among others.

Woman’s Suit
Herringbone Wool, 1953
Adrian
The designer, Gilbert Adrian, worked for the MGM studio starting in 1928 and designed the costumes for over 250 films. In 1941 he set up his own independent fashion house. The “Adrian Original” label was sold in 25 stores across the U.S.

Bloomer Ensemble
Silk and cotton, c. 1850
Very rare example, descended through the Anna Gunn Marston family of San Diego.

For a list of upcoming closures at each site, see Visit and click on the location you will be visiting.

The San Diego History Center is funded in part by the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture and by the County of San Diego. The History Center is a member of the Balboa Park Cultural Partnership and the San Diego Museum Council. The History Center is also a Smithsonian Affiliate.